In search of a better quality of life, fulfilling our dreams to see the world and provide ourselves and young children with invaluable experiences, we sold our home and possessions in London to begin our journey of a lifetime.
Here we will share our tips, stories, successes and failures, not only for our families and friends, but also to assist those who may have similar adventures in mind. We hope also to inspire those who relish the idea of travelling to newer and unfamiliar pastures but do not know how and those who require some evidence it can be done.

16 September 2010

Detroit: Henry Ford Museum

Fascinating, fun, but definitely not cheap at $15 per adult (children under five are free). Beware the added $5 fee for car parking, which we thought was a bit cheeky (there ought to be signs to that effect when you enter the car park).

To visit Greenfield Village (next door) or the Imax Theatre will incur an extra (and chunky) entry fee. There is also a Ford Rouge Factory tour, but this is separate, too.

There are diners and shops in the museum, all carefully placed to help you spend more money (I guess I am spoiled by the free museums of London). Costs can really add up at this place. Their best deal is the museum and village combination – at $32 per adult! Ouch.

However, it’s not all bad. In fact, the museum is highly impressive. The collection of cars and airplanes is vast. In addition there are homes, machinery and exhibits depicting the industrial revolution. The museum is the largest of its kind in the United States.

I found the civil rights exhibition one of the most interesting, while Zenchai had great fun in a play area (he went back three times!) as well as sitting in a vintage car (his favourite moment, but he is a car fanatic) and giant combine harvester. One can easily spend a day here, probably two. In fact, for the cost, you’d be foolish not to.

Some of the outstanding pieces in the exhibition include John F Kennedy’s presidential limousine and the bus in which Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist and known as the “mother of the freedom movement”, famously refused to budge when asked by the driver to give up her seat to a white passenger.

The bus, like almost every other item on display, has been preserved in immaculate condition.

Opening hours for the museum and village 9am-5pm seven days a week.Location: 20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn, Michigan